Cybersecurity: Google, Facebook, others to introduce new settings to keep women safe online

*The global technology giants aim to give women more control over who can interact with them online, as well as a better system for reporting abuse

*For too long, women have been routinely harassed, attacked and subsequently silenced in online spaces, says Azmina Dhrodia, Senior Policy Manager at World Wide Web Foundation

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

As a fresh measure towards giving women more control over who can interact with them in the cyberspace, Facebook, Google, TikTok and Twitter have pledged to build solutions that will help combat online abuse and improve women’s safety on their respective platforms.

ConsumerConnect gathered the four global technology giants affirmed this during the UN Generation Equality Forum in Paris, France, where they all agreed to sign onto a pledge led by the World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF).

A female victim of cyberstalking

The initiative, according to report, was created to fix identified weaknesses that make it more likely for women and people who identify as women, to have negative experiences online.

The fresh settings will focus on two key areas: offering more control over who can see, comment on, reply to, or share posts; and offering simple and reliable reporting systems for flagging online abuse.

The big tech firms’ pledge aims to give women more control over who can interact with them online, as well as a better system for reporting abuse, agency report stated.

In developing the initiative, the WWWF worked with more than 100 experts from tech companies, governments, and civil society.

It was learnt that some women affected by online abuse were also directly involved in the process.

More than a third of women experience abuse online

The World Wide Web Foundation disclosed that 38 percent of women have experienced online abuse. Among Gen Z and millennial women, the figure is higher at 45 percent, report stated.

The group found that worse abuse is often experienced among women of colour and those in LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised communities.

Azmina Dhrodia, Senior Policy Manager at WWWF, said: “For too long, women have been routinely harassed, attacked and subsequently silenced in online spaces.

“This is a huge threat to progress on gender equality.”

The WWWF in a letter noted that online platforms are currently falling short in protecting women.

The letter said: “Rather than a one-size-fits-all experience, women should have more control over who can interact with them on tech platforms, as well as more choice over what, when, and how they see content online.

“Current tools need to be improved so women can easily report abuse and track the progress of these reports.”

It further said: “For example, dashboards that show users the status of all their reports in one place, features to guide them through the reporting process, and tools that offer women access to additional support when it’s needed, could make a huge difference.”

In connection with the required settings to curate safety for the womenfolk, the tech companies agreed and have promised to introduce settings to help to tackle abuse.

The companies also promised to enable “greater capacity to address context and/or language” and to provide “more policy and product guidance when reporting abuse.”

Dhrodia also said: “With their resources and reach, these four companies have the power to curb this abuse and improve online experiences for hundreds of millions of women and girls.”

The commitments the companies have made “should be celebrated as a major win and act as a springboard for companies to tackle abuse against women as a top priority,” said he.